What Could Have Been
by TatorVerse
Summary: One moment Grantaire was strumming on his guitar and the next he was being dragged by Cosette and was singing a duet with her. T for language. By the way, this is no longer a sad fic.


**AN: Another R/C fic. Honestly, I couldn't get enough of them. And I don't know why but I seem to write one-shots about them that revolve around songs from the movie Once. And I haven't even watched it yet. This one was based on and contains the lyrics of "Falling Slowly" the Oscar-winning song. I just love it and it has been stuck in my head for some time now. Hence, this one-shot.**

**Thankfully, this one isn't sad anymore. Yay! And although I don't ship the actors, I just think that George Blagden and Amanda Seyfried would do an amazing duet of Falling Slowly if given the chance. They're voices would just blend perfectly. Don't you think?**

**Anyway, this was originally entitled "Falling Slowly" from the song it was based on but I decided to change it because I might just write a multi-chapter R/C with that as the title. But that might not happen soon. I still don't have a plot and I'm still working on my Enjonine fic, "To Dream a Dream". And even if I'm done with that I still have another Enjonine that I have started working on. So, it might take awhile.**

**Tell me if I should go through with my plan of writing a multi-chapter R/C by reviewing. Reviews would really make me happy. Read and Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Les Miserables and Falling Slowly.**

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Cosette had just entered Café Musain when she completely stopped in her tracks.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed.

"What? What is it?" Eponine asked, surprised at her friend's sudden reaction. Cosette ignored her and quickly sauntered to a table nearby.

Grantaire was seated alone in one of the tables in Café Musain. His friends were busy with discussions of their plans while he was utterly bored. He had forgotten to bring his sketchpad that day and he had found himself with nothing else to do. Drinking wasn't an option either since he too had forgotten his wallet at home.

So, to keep himself occupied, he had borrowed the guitar that was always lying around the café. He didn't know what to do so he casually strummed the melody of a song that he had recently learned. He was doing just fine when he was abruptly cut off from playing by someone who had taken a tight grip on his shoulders.

"What the hell? Unhand me, woman." He yelled, surprised at the sudden interruption. But still, Cosette had not let go of him and instead had dragged him over to the other side of the café with the guitar in tow.

"Whoa. Was this piano here all along?" he asked. He had never noticed that there. But of course, he was mostly drunk when he was in the café.

"Sit." She commanded, pointing to a chair that sat beside the piano bench.

"Hold on. You can't just –" he was about to protest when she grabbed his shoulders and pushed him down to his seat.

Cosette had also sat herself down on the piano bench.

"Play." She said. He didn't question her anymore and simply did what she said. "Women." He grumbled under his breath.

He played the first few notes and was surprised to see that Cosette was also playing them on the piano. A small smile had found itself on his mouth as he continued to play.

"I don't know you but I want you all the more for that." He sung. He watched as Cosette began to smile wider at him.

"Words fall through me and always fool me and I can't react." Cosette had now joined him in singing and he was quite surprised to find that her voice sounded amazing. It was soft and gentle but was filled with emotion. Somehow, he had found himself to be drawn to her.

"And games that never amount to more than they're meant will play themselves out." They sang. Cosette had been delightfully surprised to hear her favorite song being played as she entered the café. But she had never really expected that it had come from Grantaire. In an impulse, she had come to drag him to the piano where they could both play "Falling Slowly". Now, she was sitting there and having a duet with Grantaire. And oh God. His voice was just so amazing.

"Take this sinking boat and point it home. We've still got time. Raise your hopeful voice. You have a choice. You'll make it now." The emotion behind his voice was just breathtaking. Even more so that she was staring straight into his eyes as they sung. Somehow, it sort of fit with the next line that they sung.

"Falling slowly, eyes that know me. And I can't go back." The lyrics finally made sense for Grantaire. The gravity that she has on him was more than he bargained for. The more that he looked into her eyes, the more he was sure that he was falling slowly for her. And he knew he had gone beyond the point of no return.

"Moods that take me and erase me. And I'm painted black." As she sung, she noticed a shift in his eyes. They gave her a look that almost blew her breath away. They were definitely saying something but she couldn't quite grasp what it was.

"You have suffered enough and warred with yourself. It's time that you won." She sang this with such warmth and emotion that Grantaire felt that she meant every word. Maybe it really was time for him to clean up his act. Cosette knew Grantaire was going under some internal struggle even if he tried to hide it. Sometimes he just looked so broken that her heart wept for him. She knew Grantaire was capable of so much more. He was an excellent artist and as she had recently discovered, a wonderful musician and singer. He had so much ahead of him yet he all let it go down the bottle.

"Take this sinking boat and point it home. We've still got time. Raise your hopeful voice. You have a choice. You've made it now. Falling slowly, sing your melody. I'll sing it loud." They finished. There were still a couple of notes they had to play. But after the last note was played, they just stared back at each other with smiles gracing their faces. Then something snapped as the distance between them grew shorter and shorter until –

"That was fantastic, guys." Courfeyrac said, wearing a big goofy grin on his face as he pat Grantaire on the shoulder. He was completely oblivious. Grantaire sent him a very scary glare.

"Fuck off, Courf." He said with a growl. Courfeyrac immediately backed away, raising his hands in surrender.

"What did I do?" he asked but then he suddenly went pale, "Oh my God! Did you find out?" he asked, panicked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Grantaire asked.

"Look, I didn't mean to sleep with your sister. We were just having dinner and one thing led to another." He said.

"You what?!" Grantaire yelled as he pummeled Courfeyrac to the ground. The rest of Les Amis just watched as Bahorel tried to pry Grantaire away from Courfeyrac. Combeferre was trying to pull the beaten up Courfeyrac as he screamed different forms of apologies to Grantaire which only made the situation worse.

Cosette just sighed as she sat on the piano bench.

"Well, I guess the moment's really ruined now." She said to herself. But she hid a smile at the thought of what could have been and what almost was.


End file.
